Summoning of European Ambassadors and Mission Chiefs to Iran’s Foreign Ministry
WANA (Oct 08) – Following the allegations made in the joint statement of the foreign ministers of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) and the European Union (EU), ambassadors and heads of missions of EU member states were summoned to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs by Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi. During the meeting, Iran conveyed its strong protest and reaffirmed its absolute and permanent sovereignty over the three Iranian islands.
The recent joint statement issued by the PGCC and the EU, which included unfounded claims regarding Iran’s three islands as well as remarks on Iran’s nuclear issue, prompted the summoning of European envoys to the Foreign Ministry in Tehran.
The PGCC—comprising Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar—and the EU held their 29th joint meeting on Monday (October 6), during which they issued a statement calling for Iran to halt its missile program and cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Iran’s sovereignty over the three islands. Social Media / WANA News Agency
Iran’s Absolute and Permanent Sovereignty Over the Three Islands
In response to the claims raised in the joint PGCC–EU statement—including support for baseless allegations over Iran’s sovereignty on the Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa islands, interference in Iran’s defense matters, and remarks about the nuclear program—on Tuesday (October 7), the ambassadors and heads of EU missions were summoned to the Foreign Ministry by Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi. Iran’s strong objection was formally delivered to them.
Takht-Ravanchi reaffirmed Iran’s absolute and permanent sovereignty over the three islands, which he described as “an inseparable part of Iranian territory.” He denounced the EU’s endorsement of a baseless claim made by a PGCC member state as a violation of the principle of respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity, condemning the EU’s “politically motivated and biased stance.”
Iran’s Defensive Capabilities as a Guarantee for Regional Stability
The deputy foreign minister also rejected the allegations concerning Iran’s missile program as a clear act of interference in Iran’s internal affairs. He dismissed the exaggerated and inaccurate narratives presented in the PGCC–EU statement, stressing that Iran’s indigenous defensive capabilities, including its missile power, constitute a legitimate right of self-defense and serve as a guarantor of regional stability and security.
Iran Rejects PGCC–EU Joint Statement as “Baseless and Interfering”
WANA (Oct 07) – Iran has strongly dismissed the joint statement issued by the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) and the European Union, calling its claims “unfounded” and “interventionist.” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei stressed that the repeated assertions about Iran’s sovereignty over the islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa have “no […]
“Be Accountable for Your Own Destabilizing Actions”
Takht-Ravanchi sharply criticized the European parties to the JCPOA—France, Germany, and the United Kingdom—for their failure to honor commitments and for their ill-intentioned approach in diplomatic processes related to Iran’s nuclear issue. He stated that the EU, as the JCPOA Joint Commission coordinator, along with the three European signatories, not only failed to fulfill their obligations under the deal but also abused the JCPOA’s dispute resolution mechanism, creating disruption and deadlock in diplomacy. “Instead of repeating false and stereotypical claims about Iran’s nuclear program,” he said, “they should be held accountable for their own destructive conduct.”
The three European JCPOA members had initiated the process of reactivating the UN Security Council’s “snapback” sanctions mechanism on August 27. After 30 days, and despite a draft resolution by Russia and China to extend Resolution 2231 being rejected, on Sunday, October 6, the previous UN sanctions resolutions (1696, 1737, 1747, 1803, 1835, and 1929) were reinstated—a move Iran has declared illegal and illegitimate.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei also rejected the PGCC–EU joint statement’s “interventionist and baseless” claims on Tuesday (October 7), warning against “destructive interference in Persian Gulf affairs” and telling European states, “You have no authority to comment on Iran’s defensive capabilities.”
Following a separate joint meeting between the PGCC and the UK, another statement was issued that again repeated the claims about the three Iranian islands. Reacting to this on Sunday (September 27), Baghaei once more rejected the allegations and reaffirmed Iran’s absolute sovereignty over the Greater and Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa islands as “an inseparable part of Iranian territory.”
